MIAMI – Hunter Strickland’s crossover moment came in the 10th inning of a tied game, with Giancarlo Stanton, the lumber god of the underworld, on the other side.

Strickland threw him a slurvy slider. Then he threw another. And another.

He struck out the most chiseled and powerful hitter in the major leagues on three swings, each one more feeble than the last. There were plenty of signs over the past few weeks that Strickland had arrived as a fully formed late-inning presence. That confrontation Monday at Marlins Park was the gold foil seal on the certificate.

“Obviously, everybody is sitting fastball on me,” said Strickland, fully aware he remains best known to casual fans as the guy who gave up a postseason-record six home runs in 2014. “So for me to have offspeed pitches I can rely on early in the count, as well as late in the count, that’s huge for me.”

Strickland is not the only reliever who came up huge on the Giants’ 4-5 road trip, which ended with a two-out-of-three stop in Miami for their first series victory since the All-Star Game.

Right-hander Derek Law is unscored upon in 17 consecutive appearances dating to June 30, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio (43 to 6) is approaching elite levels. Law was Bochy’s choice to pitch the eighth inning in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory, bypassing established right-hander Sergio Romo and then leaving a warmed-up Javier Lopez in the bullpen so that Law could face Christian Yelich, the Marlins’ best left-handed hitter.

“Law is going to be a big part of these late-inning situations,” Bochy said. “You’re going to see him in the seventh, the eighth here.”

What a strange flip of the script. The Giants spent most of July looking to upgrade their bullpen on the trade market. They came away with Will Smith, who is a nice left-hander with a mean breaking pitch but no game changer like Mark Melancon or Aroldis Chapman.

Yet as they return to begin a 10-game homestand with the Orioles, Pirates and Mets, the bullpen suddenly looks like the most dependable part of their roster. After a hiccup in the first game of the trip at Philadelphia, Giants relievers posted an 0.99 ERA in the rest of their road trip. Bochy’s relievers have not allowed a home run in their last 27 1/3 innings.

The Giants bullpen was never more dominant than in Monday’s 14-inning victory, when the last five right-handers combined to throw the equivalent of a three-hit shutout while any one pitch could have cost them the game.

Santiago Casilla, the closer everyone wanted to replace, is backing up his words ever since declaring that he is good enough to do the job. In his last six games, he has thrown 7 2/3 scoreless innings while yielding just two hits, no walks and seven strikeouts.

With the offense continuing to sputter, there’s little doubt that the next eight weeks will involve plenty of tight games, leveraged situations and chances for the bullpen to shine or perish.

“We’ve got some pretty fearless guys down there,” said right-hander Jeff Samardzija, after the bullpen protected his 1-0 win Wednesday. “Even when it didn’t work out, it seemed they were attacking the zone.”

Strickland had to learn how to attack without trying to overpower. He settled on a breaking pitch that he holds more like a changeup and acts like a combination between a slider and curve. It’s more reliable than the knuckle curve he has tried to throw in the past, although he hasn’t given up on it.

“It’s just confidence now,” Strickland said. “I’m healthy, which is the biggest key. And I feel comfortable facing left-handers and right-handers.”

Strickland also has proven durable while leading the team with 53 appearances, which ranks third in the NL.

“I’m proud of him,” Bochy said. “He’s carried a heavy workload and he’s so strong. He’s really grown this year, I think, and become more of a pitcher in all aspects. Holding runners, maintaining his delivery.”

Although Strickland and Law are both veterans of Tommy John surgery, the Giants have been a bit more conservative with Law because his procedure was in 2014.

Law has been even better against lefties, and he doesn’t appear intimidated as he has made a steady rise into more leveraged situations. He’s holding batters to a .137 average over his 17 scoreless appearances.

“If he puts me in the first inning, I’m happy with it,” Law said. “It’s just one of those grooves you get in. You feel right. Your mechanics feel right. And Strickland over here, he’s the same way. All his pitches look good.”

With the emergence of those two right-handers, Bochy can use Sergio Romo as more of a one-batter matchup right-hander – a right-handed analog to Lopez.

“Strickland is throwing in the upper 90s and locating that fastball away, and that kind of makes him unhittable at times when he gets that angle on his pitches,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “And Law, he’ll throw anything at you – even his changeup, which is his fourth pitch.”

The Giants should have two more options soon, with right-hander Cory Gearrin and left-hander Josh Osich on rehab assignments. Both will get a chance to reestablish themselves, too.

The Giants will need all the late-inning weapons they can get, and soon. Romo and Lopez will be free agents after this season. That makes the ascendance of these young guns all the more important.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

Even 3-4 weeks ago they might have optioned Law just to save inventory. There is zero chance of that now. It’s like how Duffy wasn’t going anywhere last year, even though he had options. Law is this year’s bullpen version of last year’s Duffy–the indispensable rookie revelation.

His last ever regular season Dodgers game will be at AT&T Park.
He doesn’t travel with the team often for obvious reasons, mostly just West Coasters, if that.
The Giants brass will no doubt give him a big sendoff.

Phils have some good young talent. Waited too long to do the youth movement, but it’s starting to pay off now.
That Altherr kid killed Bum last week.
Tommy J looks good at 1B for them. Nice to see him recovered from all of those concussions.

Team Australia (lots of NBA players) is giving Team USA all they can handle in the first half…

One bright spot from this road trip: The last turn through the rotation, every starter except for Cueto pitched great–Cain and Shark gave up 0 runs, Bum gave up 1, Moore gave up 2. They won 3 of 5 and lost the other two 1-0 and 2-0. Good starts from Cain and Shark are REALLY good news.

The Giants went from .500 to really good in May led by their rotation. Hopefully that will happen again. A big part of the post-ASB skid was bad pitching by the starters. They seem to be righting that ship, along with the bullpen.

As they should. I listened to him as a kid. he was the very best once; he just refused to quit. I listened to him broadcast the Koufax strikeout record game and the Koufax perfecto ten years later. Make fun if you want, but at one time he was the very best.

He absolutely was, but that was then and this is now. Vin should have accepted a broadcast partner the last few years, and really should have retired three years ago. The Information Age in baseball has marginalized Vin’s schtick. All that said, he’s an icon and I can’t wait to see him in SF at the end of the year.

Carlos Gomez – I don’t think he will automatically draw a Milb assignment from another team. Instead it appears like a team like the Mets would dive in even though there was much drama a year ago with Carlos and them.

If not the Mets then watch out for other teams in the hunt. If not teams in contention then another team will opt in. I know he is a so called bad guy but he also has mad physical skills to offset what is between his ears.

Beware of the Showalter. I hope the O’s win tonight in Oakland because losing to the A’s the last two nights 3-2 and 2-1 – would set that uber talented lineup into grinding the Giants to bits starting Friday night. Guys like Adam Jones, Machado, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters can rake. Hardy is the kind of SS and hitter that will drive in two out runs and my god Mark Trumbo has found a home. Chris Davis is slumping but I know he might find McCovey Cove twice before they leave town and Machado will make LF at Willie Mays Field at China Basin look small.

I do not drink, I just hate wimps that, I am going to block you because you do not agree with me, and do not kiss people that I likes ass. to soft for me , debating is fun, I have no problem if people disagree with me .

Ray Ratto ,sounding like a person that just wings it on CSN, he says if you are counting On Derick Law, you are white knuckling it, he has no idea who good Law is, because he is to Lazy to do his homework .

In the words of John Feinstein, “The Olympics aren’t really about fairy tales anymore. They are about corporate money grabs, deal-making officials and agents, and marketing campaigns for rich athletes who see the Olympics as a way to get richer.”

Did he say that today?
RR should know better. Used to be a really good Giants beat reporter for the Chron in the late 80s. That was about 120 pounds go.
He should know a good reliever when he sees one.
Law was a hot prospect before his TJ.
He’s back and dominating.
Hope his arm holds up for a lot of years and saves in the future.
He can take Casilla’s spot next year for sure.

I attended the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA at the Coliseum. We went to track and field events. It was spectacular. Over the years however, my interest in the Olympics has waned. Still, when I was working out at the gym today, I watched France vs. Serbia. Wow. What a game, what a finish. Very exciting. I’ve always liked Tony Parker.

All I can say is I wish I took the day off. I really think I could have added value to this thread. Don’t worry PJ, I’ll talk to tf. He’s a reasonable man. I’ll make sure he knows what he’s missing with your incredible insight, fair and balanced analysis, and incomparable wit, along with your flair for literary genius. And wisdom. I almost forgot wisdom.

We were outside replacing a storm window that should have been replaced 15 years ago during the game. I thought I would catch the last three innings or so, but the window was a challenge to get placed correctly on the stops. When I finally came inside, I checked the final results on Roku and wondered: Who scored the one run? Brandon Crawford, I bet. Sure enough.

The Giants finally take a series in the second half, thanks to Crawford’s bat and glove. Will he have to be Superman from here on?

Lots of people on this blog like to insult people, and have a superiority complex , like to talk down to people, lots of snarky, and Grammar police comments, and not much baseball talk, so I will defend myself .

Yeah, I guess you don’t get the nuance…shall I explain more? The guy that dives at ankles for a loose ball and hurts guys in a lunch break, or who knocks teeth out of guys by throwing elbows after a rebound.

Ever play BBall? I played a ton. Anyone who has knows exactly what I meant. I think you did too…didn’t you? C’mon…come clean. You did…

Alex Pavlovic:
“The relievers pitched 30 1/3 innings on the trip and allowed just 21 hits and one homer. They struck out 29, combining for a 2.37 ERA and .196 opponents average. Over the past seven games, the bullpen ERA is 0.99.”

Now that some of the shock of trading Bickford has worn off, I’m actually OK with the trade, especially if Smith regains his last year’s form (91K in 63 IP, 2.70 ERA). Plus Okert’s not looking that great, and he’s controllable for a few more years

I’m hoping and rooting and wishing, but this second half has not been inspiring so far. Why do the Dodgers keep winning when Kershaw is out, and the Giants have way more talented players? The bullpen seems solid now. The 3B defense has taken a hit. The bats need to wake up.

Without a doubt Game 6 2002 WS is number one. I had my college roomate callme and congratulate me on the phone while I was simulataneously watching A&M pound #1 Nebraska at home by 28 points. He called more to crow about that. Not more than 30 minutes after that, A&M lost in OT and Scott *freaking* Speizo…….

I played a lot. All the time. Where I played, they didn’t have those rules. Also, it wasn’t on a lunch break, and I doubt everyone was employed. Admittedly, there might’ve been less diving for loose balls on cement. I remember play ending for the day once when a guy went to his trunk to get his gun. Another guy settled a dispute about a foul by shattering a whiskey bottle on the court. You can’t really play through broken glass. I was amazed by the guys who could drink and/or smoke weed and still play well. There wasn’t the same code you’re talking about.

i played that way too. I played when guys fought at Sherwood Park almost nightly. I played where cops began routinely driving by. The rules were loose, and you watched out for yourself…if Dellavadova had played there and pulled his crap, he would have been beaten to a pulp. I know you know exactly what I meant…

I guess I’ll say it differently : when I played in a rec league later, with refs…That’s where there were a code of rules about how you played.

But you knew and know what I mean. You insist on just being that guy at all costs. I really, really don’t get it. Actually, I do….you do it for the entertainment value in knowing you have annoyed another human being

Well, he got further than Surkamp did in the minors. Surkamp got rushed to the majors from AA in an emergency. Same with your fave lefty, Mike Kickham. Neither was promoted because they were ready for the majors. Blach has proven himself in AAA in a hitters’ league for the past year and a half. You don’t know until you see how a guy does in the majors, but he’s done a great job with Sacramento.

I was playing at a gym somewhere – a friendly little game – and this 6′ 4″ 250 pound guy gets past his man and drives to the basket when a 5′ 5″ guy runs in and tries to draw a charge. He’s lucky he didn’t hurt anyone. Yeah, the big guy was NOT happy.

I have no idea what Osich’s mental state is, but his stats this year speak for themselves. He’s substantially worse in every category than last season. He has great talent and I hope they stick with him for as long as it takes, but I also hope they don’t rush him back to the majors during a pennant race unless he demonstrates in the minors that he’s worked some things out.

Walking the bases loaded and taking the loss in his first appearance in AA says “not yet” to me.

Crawford this, 2Hole that, more importantly, the beach volleyball ladies are sporting a look I’ve never seen before; they are wearing their bikini tops outside of some sort of long sleeved sport athletic shirts. Very odd. Credit though to the American team who are still wearing their bikini bottoms despite it being nighttime and folks in the crowd wearing jackets.

Geez MLB network provides good coverage but the broadcast team is cringe worthy. I don’t mind the analysts because they provide knowledge, but the broadcasters and reporters attempts at being funny or engaging is embarrassing. Those included are Matt Vasgersian, Lauren Shehadi, and Chris Russo, of course.

I suspected one of the IFs would have been traded (at least Panik or Duffy) since many scouts were speaking so highly of Arroyo. Unless they were going to convert one of the IFers to an OFer next season, they probably thought they could afford to lose one through a trade. The team probably gambled on Duffy over Panik to be traded since they had such a small sample size of Duffy in the bigs.

Just seems strange Duff not going to be at third. Imagine he’s gonna struggle going from the crown jewel of ball parks to a complete land fill with a roof on it. From the cool ocean breeze by the bay to a muggy humid Tampa Bay. Giants will get him back. Maybe he can pull a Lucius Fox and make it stick.

Absolutely not. I wish pain on no friend or foe. Would be a tough way to end it if he’s out for the rest of the season. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it sure as hell burned down overnight.

every event I have seen on NBC so far has had lots of empty seats inc beach volley – the horse stuff looked just as empty as this stadium. so out of curiousity i look on the O site to see what tix are going for and ridiculously they show all kinds of events with NO tix available and the indiv tix costs were between $150-450 EACH something stinks here and some enterprising reporter ought to ferret out what gives. Only swimming seems to have a full house

The team that went on this road trip is the team that will play to the end of the season, minus Mac Williamson. Good pitching and good defense gives you a chance, doesn’t it? Even if 1-0 is a nail biter. I would like to see Matt Cain get that starter’s 6th inning on Friday night, and the home orange unis should give him an edge on that. And there has to be some better hitting soon, as Hunter Pence and Joe Panik do not belong that far down the batting order, and of course won’t be staying there. The good times are upon us, I hope.

I’d like to know who else picked Matty in our little contest because he’s going to win us lots of points with his comeback. He’s getting progressively better with each start and might have a CG in his future this year.

With yesterday’s game and the day off, it feels like 2 days off; I may have to find something useful to do today.

Thanks for the notes.
SJ does have MyGuy™ Aramis Garcia getting his Catcher Legs back after the DL for broken facial bones. He is the top catching prospect now.

I thought I was doing a good job at monitoring the Manatees for Bickford but he slipped by me. That looks like a fair start for his new team.

For some reason it is harder to root for top prospects the Giants traded than for Duffy. Maybe the idea of seeing someone the Giants scouted and then traded versus Duffy that they developed and then used in trade when needed? Baseball…

I certainly agree with the last point, in fact, I might have to work at my job today? A long time between games.

Haak would know how many of us were loyal to the Horse! I’m very happy for him, now 101 wins as a Giant, and I hope a couple more good years to follow. He’s owed some run support to back him Friday night.

Not completely off the topic of comebacks: I’m sad about TImmy with the Angels, that went pretty badly.

The order of regret in Scout’s scouting is certainly Duffy >> Susac > Bickford ~ Mejia, based on how high they got in the organization. We’ll certainly pay attention to all their careers, but there will be a lingering sore spot where Duffy used to be. No matter how the trades work out, that fellow is the kind of athlete I like to pull for.

Slater’s finally getting it in gear in AAA after a slow start. With Pagan and Blanco likely moving on, it’s good to keep an eye on the OF prospects–besides Parker/Mac, of course, Slater, Duggar, Cole. The 2016 guys are still probably a couple years off, but look at Reynolds go…Qunn too.

Do you think they plan for Beede next year, or is he in AAA with a 2018 debut?

I think Susac and the others that were traded will come around after the shock of living at a new address wears off. I don’t think Andy was a fluke; I think going where he did was just a blow from which he’s still recovering.

I would bet you’ll see him next month. He’s on the 40-man, and the Giants like to reward system guys who’ve had good years with a September call-up. And who knows–he might be able to give them some useful relief innings.

I hope Andrew Susac gets in some good years as someone’s backup. It was kind of fun to see the names of Yorvit Torrealba, Chris Stewart, or Eli Whitesides as they played elsewhere. Nice to have Eli back in the pen, too.

“My time coming, anyday, don’t worry about me, no
It’s gonna be just like they say, them voices tell me so
Seems so long I felt this way and time sure passin’ slow
Still I know I lead the way, they tell me where I go.

Don’t worry about me, no no no, don’t worry about me, no
and I’m in no hurry, no no no, I know where to go.

California, a prophet on the burning shore
California, I’ll be knocking on the golden door
Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light
Rising up to paradise, I know I’m gonna shine.”

Kontos seems to be in an interesting spot in the pecking order. Law and Strickland are clearly the ones who’ve risen to the top. Casilla’s the closer. Romo’s the respected vet who closed a World Series. And then there’s newbie Gearrin, who did a nice job for most of the year.

Gearrin has to be activated soon. With Peavy now in the bullpen, there’s no spot for him. There is no chance Jake gets DFA’d. Somebody goes on the DL for a rest, I guess?

The gutsy move would be to activate Gearrin and DL both Kontos and Peavy. Then, our fifth bench player. But I think we know Bochy is addicted to the 8-man bullpen and he’ll live with four bench players until 9/1.

I agree, but I might keep Kontos and DL Romo. Again, though, it’s Romo’s contract year, and it’s rough to put someone on an “inventory” DL if it hurts their value. It was different last year with Hudson because he’d made it clear he was retiring. I doubt Romo plans to retire–he’s only 33. And Jake doesn’t sound like he wants to retire, either.

Up to 145. He’s doing what Blackburn was doing last year – getting on a roll, trimming the heck out of his ERA. He must be working a yo-yo on hitters in the PCL. I gather his change-up is a plus offering. And he may touch 90 with some frequency – not as soft tossing as sometimes reported I gather.

Find a way to sneak him on to the 40-man roster (someone goes to the 60-day DL), then that last home stand, give him an inning where our great fans can give him the majestic goodbye that he so richly deserves.

Even after a rocky start, his numbers are pretty much all in the right direction this year (walks slightly up, but that’s not a big issue for him). His H/9 are down by two, HRs are down, WHIP way down. Ks are up.

Blach’s really had a nice minor league career. His first year in AAA was mediocre (but not awful for the PCL), but his other three years, including this one, have been excellent.

Just out of curiosity, I looked at the Giants’ stats. Among relievers, Kontos is first in BAA, second in ERA, second in SLG, third in IRA and OPS, and fourth in OBP and WHIP, yet he is always an afterthought. It might be better for him if the Giants would just DFA him and let him go to another team.

Just my opinion, but a couple of really important stats for relievers are walk rates and HR rates. Kontos’s HR rates can be a bit on the high side. This year’s not really a fair test because he missed some time with an injury, but last year he gave up 9 HRs (1.1/9). This year his HR rate is better, but his walk rate has almost doubled–again, though, much smaller sample size.

Then there’s the eye test. Kontos hangs sliders. I’d say his best comp on the team is Romo, who also lives and dies by his slider. For their careers, which is probably a fairer comparison since both missed time this season.

Romo HR/9: 0.8
Kontos HR/9: 0.9
…so pretty close

BUT:
Romo BB/9: 1.8
Kontos BB/9: 2.5
…big advantage Romo

AND:
Romo K/9: 10.1
Kontos K/9: 7.0
…and the winner

You want a guy who can strike people out so that he doesn’t get behind hitters and hang a slider.

Now, all that said–Romo’s two years older, making $9 mil this year, and a free agent. Kontos is under team control for three more years. I’d think the Giants would want to keep Kontos.

I did too. I always thought he was going to bust out as a star but he regressed, had bad luck with injuries and kept putting on weight. He really looked like he could hit and he had a penchant for the dramatic homer….

I agree. Highly unlikely. They’ve gotten Sergio’s best years out of that little body and fragile elbow, and he’s gotten some good pay (especially for a set-up guy) and three World Series rings and bonuses. They’re certainly not going to pay him $9 mil like this year to be the fourth or fifth option in the bullpen.

The next couple months are awkward, though. If you say that Casilla, Law, Strickland, Kontos, and Gearrin are all ahead of him in the pecking order–both because of current performance and future needs–where does that leave Romo, for the next few weeks and in the postseason if they get there?

It’s easy for us blog potatoes to be objective about this. It’s harder in the clubhouse. Romo is the second-longest tenured Giant after Cain and was a World Series hero in 2012. He’s also been known to have a touchy personality.

I suppose you’re right. I didn’t see the trade coming at all. We were up at the cabin listening to the radio when we heard. We were both shocked. I remember saying, “But Evans just told Duffy he would remain the regular third baseman when he returned from the DL.”

Another quality start logged by Vogey for the Buccos. No run support.
When they come to town soon, and he gets a start (if it’s his turn), he will want that one bad.
Nobody competes harder than Vogey. The fans will show how much they care too.

He belongs (back) in pinstripes. He went to LA on account of Joe Torre. LA and Donny never meshed. He’s really a good person, hell of a ball player but so so skipper in LA. In Florida he is being respected by his guys. If there is not 100% buy in with baseball at every level it leads to turmoil.

Bochy will find a way to minimize the awkwardness and keep the pen working along. That’s the least of the Giants problems right now. This team has forgotten that winning baseball means you have to score runs, more than your opponent, by batting a white ball with a wooden bat… Our batters, except for Crawford and Pagan, act like they don’t know which end of the bat is up!

I know TO is of the belief that DTT is a good manager and gets unjustly criticized on here but there’s obviously truth to it. I don’t think he’s a bad manager, the success he had in LA and, even more telling, his success in Miami shows he gets a lot out of his clubs. But in-game managing? Would you really want him calling the shots for you in a postseason series? He’s a lot like Dusty, the players love him and will rally around him, but having Bochy matched up against either of them works decidedly in our favor.

Since 2012, George has been a mostly “very good” 15-9, with a 2.88. His WHIP is 1.1 He had an amazing stretch of allowing no inherited runners to score. He has been brought into many, many nearly impossible situations after the predecessor created a tire fire. He has come in as a one out guy, a one inning guy, a long man, and everything in between. 242 games in those years, and was out with injury…so he has appeared in about 50 games a season…

But, he gave up a Grand Slam one day many years ago to ARod…and the Blog Pitchfork Brigade engaged and never let go.

Along the way, guys have come and gone. Guys have been here the whole time and have been dramatically more inconsistent.

The SPC’s (Sofa Pitching Coaches) are sure he doesn’t get the job done because of “optics” that doesn’t align with the results.

I’m not saying that, but any criticism of Bochy is often met with “3 in 5.” When it comes to division titles, another significant accomplishment, Mattingly is “3 in 3.” He accomplished that despite some significant managerial challenges. Now, he has the Marlins in contention. I’m not saying Mattingly is better than Bochy, but Mattingly has proven that he’s a good manager.

Do agree – DM was a hella of a player. Too bad he hurt his back rough housing with Bob Shirley. Remember The Simpsons, Mattingly says he still liked Mr. Burns better than Steinbrenner. And yes, not a bad job managing the Marlins so far.

Stats are a bit misleading. Wasn’t Romo striking out like 14 every 9 last year? Given money and the future, I see Kontos staying. Romo going unless he signs a one year deal worth around $5M. Don’t see him doing that as someone will throw a 2-3 year deal for $8M per. I also see Kontos on a short leash given the talent in the minors.

That wasn’t your previous question. No, I wouldn’t rather have Mattingly than Bochy for the post season, but that wasn’t my point. Bashing Mattingly is just another fan-centric past time that doesn’t make much realistic sense, like continuing to believe that “Timmy” can still pitch.

It was a question I asked in my initial post. And the reason you wouldn’t want him over Bochy, or Maddon, or a number of other managers is the same reason he gets criticized, his in-game tactician skills are lacking.

No reason to DL Kontos. His stats are as good, if not better, than Gearrin. Who do you go to battle with in October? That should tell you who they will keep in August. They go to battle with Romo, Lopez, and Peavy. Sorry Gearrin, you may be the odd man out.

He posted about this the other day, saying Bochy was only like 59 games over .500 with the Giants, as proof that it wasn’t all those bad Padres teams. To which I responded his first years in SF weren’t with very good teams, either. He’s never going to move past his belief that Bochy isn’t quite “great.”

The seven hits by Crawford is an extreme aberration but it does make for interesting stat comparisons. For example Panik has to go back 16 games, from before he went on the DL for his last seven hits. Wow.

I don’t get to see as many games or innings as most folks here so I kinda have must see AB’d that I try to make sure to catch. Been Posey for years but I have to admit Crawford has taken over. He has a big swing and doesn’t always make solid, if any, contact but he does not get cheated on his swings very often.

Wish Duffy the best, but I’m glad we got Moore.
Might take Duffy time to find a groove (see Panik Pence). Giants just couldn’t afford to wait on Duffy and then find out he’s not quite the same player as he was a yr ago.

It was tough to watch Prince’s emotional press conference. Liked and admired by each teams teammates. Finishes with identical amount of HR’s as his dad, 319. Neck injuries are life threatening and that time he fell going over the dugout railing when the team walked off – did not help mattershttp://giphy.com/gifs/alds-fence-struggles-o94kun65pORs4

I agree with you the Donnie gets an unnecessarily bad rap. He has been a successful big league manager. Not near the level of the elite managers, but better than a majority of them.

Then you start up with Bochy. I think most Braves fans would have rather had Bochy than Bobby. Bochy has been a master in the postseason, which is when it matters most. Ask Braves fans whether they’d rather have 14 straight division titles and 1 ring or 1/4 of those and 3 rings. Plus, IMO the Braves choke job in the ’96 World Series was one of the biggest series (not necessarily single game, although Game 3 at home was horrific) choke jobs of all time. No way Bochy loses that series. You can’t just go by winning percentage. You need to look at what he’s done when he’s been given teams that can compete. And when he’s been given talent he’s been spectacular. He is a clear cut HOF who is on par with some of the best of all time. Doesn’t mean he’s perfect or doesn’t make mistakes, but he’s on par with the all time greats.

Overall I liked and admired Fielder, but I didn’t dig how he destroyed one of our catchers (Todd Greene in 2006–pretty much ended his career) and then tried to get Eli Whiteside not even 48 hours after Cousins took out Buster in 2011.

I thought the bowling pins thing was funny, but I know a lot of Giants fans took umbrage.

This is what I will always think about with the Giants and Prince Fielder, though (link):

Yes but I have no doubts that Duffy will be just as good as last year as long as he heals well. I even bet rEfrain that Duffy would beat Bryant in OnTheRoad stats this year, as he did last year, but that was a bad bet that I will have to pay off.

I think it’s more complicated. Bochy spent much of his managerial career with an underfunded and undertalented Padres team and nonetheless took them to the World Series and won four division titles there. But the level of spending/talent will affect the over W-L record over the years. The 2007-08 Giants were pretty abysmal, too, not that I’m complaining because we got Bumgarner, Posey, and Crawford out of that mess.

Mattingly literally was handed “the best team money can buy.” It doesn’t take a lot of genius to hand the ball to Kershaw and Greinke every five days for three years. He does deserve credit for getting anything done considering how dysfunctional the team was for a lot of that time and how the front office undermined him. And I think he deserves a ton of credit for how well the Marlins are doing when they lost Gordon for 80 games and don’t really have a rotation after Fernandez.

I think with nuance considered, Bochy has to be considered a better manager than his W-L record shows, and Mattingly’s probably not quite as good as those three division titles might suggest. But he’s also not as bad as those of us poking fun at him might think, either. I think the comparison to Dusty Baker is pretty apt. (However, it is just sooooo fun to bring up the Donnie Two Trips game. That was an absolute classic. But to be fair, he wasn’t even the manager then.)

My best buddy at work, our CFO, is managing Kenosha, WI little league in the Central Region LLWS and his boys are on ESPN2 tomorrow. He is 2wins from Williamsport….he had to do some pre recording for them today. I think they are on at 2 tomorrow. Wisconsin has never made it to Williamsport, Kenosha has never made it to State…the kids are jacked. Beat Illinois and Indiana already

Grant Brisbee’s analysis of the conundrum that is the SF Giants’ offense this year. Here’s the money quote:

“Add it all up, and the Giants are a slap-hitting, ball-taking, contact-making group of hitters who struggle to hit the ball so hard that it goes over the fence. And that’s going to lead to a lot of frustrating games where the hits aren’t strung together, where the big three-run blow never comes.”

How was I wrong? What does Nick Noonan being up called prove? He was called up by the Giants, too. Do you seriously think he’s going to establish himself as a big leaguer, meaning a guy that sticks around for a few seasons?

Second: you are convinced you are absolutely right in your judgments every time. This time. Duffy time. Mattingly time. Bochy time. “Timmy is an overrated 2 year phenom” time.

These are all opinions. We all have them. It’s fine. It’s now my opinion that you think your opinions are better than ours.

I’m not so sure that they are any better or any worse than anyone else’s.

So, go ahead and go back and remind me if I was wrong ( down 3-1, playing poorly…it was a reasonable opinion…) . But maybe once in awhile try to show a tiny bit of humility. If you wonder why some of us react to you as we do, even target you, this is possibly why.

Because no one asked, I’m going to express my views on the Olympics. Far and away the best Olympic sport is Track & Field, which starts tomorrow. I’ll watch all of that I can. I’m not too excited about gymnastics, although they’re great athletes, because I don’t particularly enjoy sports where the winner is determined by a judge’s subjective opinion, although I did like boxing until they changed the scoring system. I like freestyle wrestling, because those guys are as tough as it gets. Weightlifters are all drugged up, but that strength is amazing.

I don’t like any Olympic sport that is just a minor competition within the context of that sport. For the sports I’ve mentioned, the Olympics are the pinnacle. For sports like tennis, cycling, baseball (when it existed) and others, the Olympics are just a glorified exhibition. Basketball would be an exception, if the USA had better competition. And I don’t like sports that are a gimmicky version of the actual sport and are played by those who never were, or are no longer, good enough to play at the the highest level of the actual sport, such as beach volleyball. And I especially don’t like rhythmic gymnastics, because I’m a guy.

I’ve admitted being wrong. I was wrong about Barry Zito the year he contributed. I said in Spring Training that he should retire. I was also wrong about Peavy last year. I know it’s rare, but it happens.

Yep. Inconsistent. As I said to CC the other day, do people really think that if steroids had been available during earlier eras, the players wouldn’t have used them? If a player was willing to take amphetamines to help his performance, why not steroids?

I’ve been watching the weight lifting. There is a lot of technique involved in that sport I did not know about previously. I have seen people make tremendous gains in strength over a years time by their routine and diet. I am not ready to blanket all lifters are drugged up.

Giants have to many big contracts in front of Suarez. The big buck player somehow remains on the team even when Suarez can out pitch them. Same with Mac. If he were an everyday guy, his numbers would eventually climb big. Why you think certain position guys play everyday? Front office wants the big dollar guys on the field while the manager wants the best line up. The game within the game. Front office wins.

Not funny, because it is true, and no why they hit the ball the other way so much, they are late on the fast ball, pitchers do them a favor when they throw them off speed stuff, Crawford’s HR yesterday was on a hanging changeup .

Speaking of A. Suarez, the other one, Andrew, the lefty out of U of Miami drafted in the second round in 2015, is quietly turning his season around in Richmond. Six innings, 1 R tonight, ERA down in the low 4s now.

How about Chris Heston? He won 12 games, threw a no-hitter, and helped keep the Giants in the race in the first half last year. Gets no chance to crack the rotation this year, is demoted to AAA by the second week, and then is told his oblique injury (usually about a 4-6 week recovery) is going to land him on the 60-day DL. I know he made $100K extra by that little bookkeeping maneuver (probably to keep him from filing a union grievance), but his present and his future with the Giants is exactly nowhere right now.

He wasn’t trying to be funny. He was pointing out why, despite the Giants’ excellent walk and strikeout rates, and their above-average team batting average, they’re still so infuriating to watch. Seriously, he could have been channeling you.

Would they? They went out and bought Cueto and Samardzija. But Peavy and Cain were highly paid incumbents. They were just handed spots in the rotation. There was no merit-based competition, no shot to win a rotation spot in spring training.

Then, when Cain was injured, Heston was hosed by the fact that he’d started the night before and they needed a fresh arm. So Suarez, who was already there, got the fill-in role, and Stratton, the only guy with the fresh arm, got the call-up.

This is nothing against Suarez, who grabbed the opportunity and did a fine job. But last year, so did Heston. And now that the Giants have traded for Moore, there are no openings in next year’s rotation, either–and even if there were, Heston would be up against Suarez, Blackburn, Blach, Stratton, and maybe even Beede.

I get that it’s business, and as a fan, I want things to be merit-based. I want my team to win, and if that means some nice young guy is left out in the cold, well, that’s what it means. But you do realize how tough it is to be a guy on the fringes. You may never get a shot (see Blackburn and Blach, coming up on two years in AAA). And even if you do and make good, you may still not be in the team’s plans.

Heavens no- I would’t eat there. Even if I thought about it, the commercial said “No Way”
In fact I have my people on the way to barricade the doors.How could any parent want their kid to grow up thinking that that is BBQ? I’m doing a public service. That’s the kind of man I am.

I knew that the numbers game was the reason that Suarez was sent down, but he still got a raw deal- as did Heston and many many more. I also know and understand that the manager and front office will first go with veterans with proven track records. That is understandable in the sense that no one wants to pay a gazillion bucks to guy sitting at home playing Grand Theft Auto. Sure, it may be unfair who ever said that life was fair. As you’ve said, we can hope that they land in a soft spot.

He’s one of the guys that I follow a bit. His last 7 starts have been very good. Aside from Beede, I’m pulling for him the most. I could be mistaken, but I think he was the first of the 2015 draft picks to make it to Richmond.

Yes, I think that’s right. He finished last season in SJ and started this year in Richmond. I believe he was a four-year college player, so he’s older and they want to move him along. The other 2015 guys were moved up in June.

GNight all.It’s been very painful to walk lately so I’m getting some” HIGH CBD Medical marijuana” tomorrow..My friend Dr.T recommended it for severe pain- any of you had any experience with it and do you have any thoughts about it? Thanks

The Giants playing the Orioles this weekend reminds me of Sidney Ponson. At the time of the trade, in 2003, some writers noted that the O’s slotted him 4th in their rotation, so he could go up against other teams’ 4s and 5s, thus inflating his numbers and increasing his trade value. At the time of the trade from Baltimore, Ponson had a 14-6, 3.77 record. With the Giants he went 3-6, 3.71. BTW, in the deal that brought him here, the Giants gave up Ryan Hannaman (minors), Kurt Ainsworth and Damian Moss.

You’re right. It turned out those players were “free” to the Orioles, Ponson went back to them as a free agent after that ’03 season with the Giants. Incidentally, Ponson had a career losing record his first 5 seasons in the league (’98-2002), 41-53. Then in ’03 he got off to that 14-6 start with the O’s. Hmmm, I wonder if he…….

I shiver when I think of the food that the average American eats. It is not a matter to be snob. IMO no food is healthier, tastier and simpler to cook than out Mediterranean diet. I wish God burned down all of those junk food joints.

I had forgotten about that guy but I remember wondering at the time what kind of visa system do we have where guys can come in and get busted twice for DUI and still keep the work visa. Seems like things such as abiding by the law should be part of the deal.

Anyway, I looked him up, the Rangers tried to void his contract due to his troubles with the law but the union filed a grievance and the team ended up settling with him. And by settling I mean they had to pay off the entire remaining balance on the contract. Wow, I have to do settlements at work from time to time but they typically involve meeting somewhere in the middle. Maybe next time I can convince the customer to follow the Ranger’s example.

I have seen a lot of talk about certain players being squeezed from the bigs because of veterans or other players we have money invested in. I think I saw something posted in the pre-season about the expansion of rosters for the whole year. Since they already expand them in September, why not extend it for the whole season. What is your take on this?

Things to consider is how does this affect your MiLB teams? What about player salaries and arbitration years? Would teams rotate pitchers at the back end (1-3 on normal rotation, then pitch 3-4 pitchers based on performance or need)? Would this help reduce injuries that result from overuse?

Expanding the rosters makes perfect sense to me. The twenty five man roster was established long before the age of specialization. The Giants carry an eight man bullpen, it was probably something four or five when the 25 count was set, they should bump it up to 27 or 28 before September 1.

This is just personal opinion, right? I think I like the 25-man limit, and maybe there should be a cap at 30 (not all the 40-man) in the September period, except maybe a team out of contention that wants to look at its AAA lineup. Within the 25 man, I’d make a rule of no more than 12 pitchers, to ensure one less pitching change advertisement break in the late innings. Teams have played with a 5-man bench for ages, usually two reserve IF, two OF, and a C. One thing this promotes is Tomlinson/Zobrist types, who are kind of cool in their flexibility.

It goes without saying that none of the 25 men should be a DH.

Tevister is right about a change causing money-related changes, too, although it is hard to guess what they might all be. But here’s one thought on that: Bochy clearly values Gillaspie as a pinch hitter, because he’s OK at the plate, but would we want players who aren’t also out there on defense?

I remember it well. Painfully well. At the end of the 2002 season we had six strong starters, so the Giants decided to trade Russ Ortiz. The trade ended up being Ortiz for Damian Moss, straight up. Moss was disappointing, then we traded him–and two farmhands–for Ponson, who as noted below was a huge disappointment. Not one of Sabean’s best series of moves.

Giants got to quit making these average pitchers look like aces and jump on Bundy quick. A 3.05 era guy is beatable. And if Cain can avoid spotting Baltimore early runs we’ll win this thing. Got to start taking series again. No more crap baseball. So if Cain needs a few extra pitches in the pen to get dialed in, stay there. Don’t use the first inning to complete the warm-ups.

Wonderful history! That’s amazing. How did you become a Giants fan? We have to get together the next time in I am in Venice. If you are ever in Florida let me know. I may go to Greece this year too. My email is gmagalios@gmail.com

thx. I wrote some months ago about my youth and how I fell in love with baseball. Summarizing it can be said it’s due to our family’s millennial contacts with foreign lands. In one word: esterofilia, passion for foreign things.

You can’t just look at the ERA to determine the quality of a pitcher. There are more factors that should be considered. Look at the trend of his past starts, what opponents he faced, and type of pitcher.

He has but what’s good is he throws gas. We seem to have more trouble seeing finesse guys for the first time as opposed to ones who rely on their fastball. But now I’ve probably jinxed it and he strikes out 20.

I’ve smoked some of that as my lady starting getting it when she was going thru chemo last year. It works well and really does leave you with clarity. Or as much clarity as you had before smoking it, Chef. :o)

This is delivered to your body in several different ways, Dr.T seems to think that Sublingual drops are best. Anyway I guess that I will rely on the ” seller” for recommendations.i’ll let you guys know how it works for me

That just doesn’t cut it anymore. Players aren’t as durable or the game is more specialized. Everything changes and nothing will ever be “what it used to be”. With the game changing, what do you want to see happen?

You are kidding right? A guy has to be a top 10 pick to be brought up to be a starter for the Giants. The one exception is emergency starts like Suarez got and that Heston took. Starting pitchers are nothing but trade bait for the Giants. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see some young guys getting a chance but it doesn’t seem like the way they want to operate.

At one point he was the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. He was nearly a high school version of Stephen Strasburg. He had TJS a few years ago but he’s finally coming into the talent he possesses. He is anything but average, he is likely a future ace.

I get that but they have to be more practice in seeing what they have. The Dodgers have gotten some great starts from Urias and Stripling and are soon to debut their other phenom De Leon.

Again that is due to their injuries I know that.

But hell we traded Mejia without ever knowing.

That last stat before the ASG was a great opportunity to let it fly, be creative and proactive.

But no, they had fit in an extra start because they got greedy, which I think led him to tire out before the 2nd half (already was #1 in innings in NL) and did the stupid move flip Shark/ Cueto that I fault partly for the start of the skid.

Blach is ahead of him too … two-hit, 9 IP shut-out yesterday.
I get being cautious about Cain but he has been one bright spot in the post-ASB slump. Tonight is a big test for him but a QS against this big offense would tell me he is fine as #5.
What more would you want to see from him?

Pitching Staff: Rotating DL until September?
No one on the current staff is pitching so bad that they should be sent down. Pick the one relief pitcher with the worst aches and pains and DL him so Gearrin can be brought back. He is out of options and would not pass through waivers.

If Pence’s eye is part of his problem DL him for a week and bring #BringMacBack

Your memory has that Dark Side. I agree he should have been ejected for that slide but his longer record is he is not an habitual offender. Even Cobb being called mean or dirty has been disproven over time and eyewitnesses. Let it go.
GiantPainTherapySession™ number two has now ended.

I have access to California’s medical marijuana, and I must say it’s pretty good. I have chronic lower back and leg pain (and fatigue), and what I use helps calm all that down. Nicely, I might add! Not what Michael is talking about, I know.

Beede’s not on the 40-man roster yet, so to bring him up they’d have to cut someone else AND start his clock. They already have a full rotation, Peavy in the bullpen, and guys like Suarez, Blackburn, Blach, Heston, and Stratton–all on the 40–in AAA. So you’d be starting Beede’s clock without really having a role for him. Not worth it.

I forgot about DL for Mac. Yes then bring in Parker for Pence (if hurt) or Blanco either way. Even just seeing the Condensed games it has been hard to watch Blanco this week. He is better than that so let’s assume it is his knee.

Blanco’s struggles at the plate are one thing–Panik and Pence look just as awful right now. But that “double” that Casilla gave up in the last game–a healthy Blanco glides over like a gazelle and catches that easily. It was only about 1/10 the degree of difficulty of other catches he’s made over the years.

I think Casilla agreed with you based on the game video.
Parker has good speed and would of caught that too then you think? Okay, rest Blanco then for the late September comeback to take the division from the dodgers in the final week.

It’s tough, and I really don’t think it’s just the money. Guys like Cain, Romo, and Lopez have long tenures and amazing histories with the team. It could be a morale issue if you cut a guy like that–or even DL him against his will. Same with Jake, even though he’s only been here a couple years.

It’s an odd “downside” of their success and continuity over the past seven years (longer with Cain and Romo). On the other hand, they let Wilson, Lincecum, and Vogelsong walk…but that’s different than DFA’ing a franchise hero.

He makes the most sense. He’s 35 and has had back and hip issues and probably could use a rest. BUT: he hasn’t decided he’s retiring, and putting him on the DL could hurt him in a contract year. Same with Romo, who’s already missed almost half the season. That’s more their problem than it is the team’s, but if a respected veteran isn’t treated well…it can create clubhouse problems.

My lifelong best friend is Greek. Both of his parents were the first family members to come to America. Growing up I spent a lot of time in his home with his family. In 1981 I took a two-week vacation to Greece with them. His mother’s family is from Skyros, a very small island. Loved it there!

I agree, but then there is no ‘long-man,’ altho Jake is no great shakes at that. In answer to Lefty (below), I think Romo could benefit from a rest, and if he displays his old je ne sais quoi in Sept. (AND THE PLAYOFFS!), earns a contract with somebody.

Schulman had a piece about the resurgent bullpen yesterday (and he DID mention Kontos!)–and he implied, both in the article and in his Twitter comments, that he thinks the Giants will install Law as closer next year and let Casilla walk. Why pay Casilla or another free agent $8-10 mil. per when Law will make $525,000?

I wonder. Sabean loves him some bullpen experience. He spent a lot of money over the years keeping that Core Four together. I could see them bringing Casilla back or signing another big free agent reliever. Romo and Lopez, though–not.

No I meant to say, if you don’t test him out, you have guy in the minors (like most of the guys you mention) at 25 and still untested. Check other teams “phenols” or rookie pitchers. They are more apt to get their feet wet younger.

Sure. But that’s not necessarily easy, either. Javy might go along with it–he’s 39 and this may be it for him. But Romo’s only 33 and missed half the season already. If he’s healthy, he’s not going to want to go on the DL. Cain’s 31 and just got off the DL–and has won his last three starts.

Tim Hudson was a good guy about getting DL’ed last year because he could afford to be. He was 40 and had announced his retirement. But can you MAKE someone who says he’s healthy go on the DL if he feels it will hurt his market in a couple months?

Nice TF. My dad was born in Greece. I am first generation too. The islands are spectacular and the food, the lifestyle, all wonderful. It’s a shame with the politics and the economy now.. Where do you live now? I hope your friend’s family fed you well. Greeks use meals and food as a social glue and a sign of their hospitality. It is an important part of our culture…

Yep. Considering he’s been a bit of a diva this year, you’d wonder. On the other hand, he publicly stated that he wouldn’t like it if the Giants traded for a big-name closer and then he’s backed it up by pitching great.

One thing working against him is that it will be a buyers’ market for closers: Chapman, Jansen, Melancon, Ziegler–and even Romo as a second-tier guy (but with big-time closer experience)–also Rodney & Papelbon. If the Giants say, for example “two years + an option, $8 mil. per–but we’ll decide if you’re the closer or a set-up man”–Casilla might find that’s the best deal he can get.

True, good points.. I don’t think Casilla was showing up teammates as much as showing his own competitive fire and frustration… I am sure his teammates are cool with that.. We only see one side of it as fans. Still, he should control his emotions on the field better. In truth , I am a fan though I hope the Giants let him walk after this season.

Here’s the free agent list. Forget starting pitchers. The “head” of the class is 36-year-old Rich Hill and then perpetually injured and mediocre Brett Anderson. Pass. We have plenty of possibilities in the minors if Cain can’t cut it or stay healthy.

Wilson was one of the best closers the Giants ever had. One more healthy season and he would have broken Nen’s team saves record. And he was nails in the 2010 postseason. His career save percentage was better than Casilla’s, too–by quite a bit.

The Jets – You Got It All (1985)
The original band consisted of the eight oldest children of Maikolo “Mike” and Vaké Wolfgramm, who were originally from the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga. The family has 17 children, 15 by birth and two, Eddie and Eugene, by adoption. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

Regardless of his “competitive fire”, it absolutely showed up teammates and the manager. It’s not cool. And, he’s lucky that his teammates are enduring his tantrums. But to say you’re sure they are cool with it may only be true on the surface.

It’s too bad, really, because Casilla’s been a good soldier for so many years–he took the previous demotion in 2012 (when Romo took over) in stride. Wonder what changed? Worried about his contract year?

So far they did get screwed by the A’s. Rich Hill hasn’t thrown a pitch and his ETA is still unknown. Reddick’s something like 2 for 27. And one of the pitchers they traded almost threw a perfect game in AAA the other night.

Damn, you had me until Speedy Oil change. I know cars and there’s no way in hell that anyone should ever, I mean, ever take their car to that disastrous chain. I’ll give them this though, they are a 100 times better than Jiffy

Add Jake McCasland to the list of pitching riches. A 26 rounder in 2013, he is 2 years older than the average of pitchers at Augusta. Like Slania, he was almost exclusively a relief pitcher until this year, but unlike Slania, he was not very good. Then they tried him as a starter 2 months ago. Since then he’s been lights out. In 9 starts his ERA is around 1.7, he’s given up around 7 hits, one walk, and 9 Ks per 9.

This seems forced to me. They’re both trying too hard to be funny. If Hunter was doing well at his job, I’d be okay with this stuff. But these videos take time to plan and create and all in all, could be too much divided attention for him right now.

I don’t like that a game can come down to penalty kicks, but the most overrated US player by far, who scores goals but is NOT a good player, missed hers as did another player, and the US women are out in soccer.

I remember once, in the late 60s, the Giants went with nine pitchers (due to some injuries), for a few weeks, and for one three-game series in the midst of that had only eight! Different pitching philosophy back then, for sure.